Never underestimate the importance of good writing. Especially in the world of digital business, it is often your only “voice.” If your first email to a potential customer is dull, confusing, and riddled with grammatical errors, you will likely lose the customer. If a memo to employees is unclear, you may end up with confused workers and incorrectly done work. 10 Easy Solutions to Business Writing Problems out of Entrepreneur Magazine gives some simple tips, tricks, and troubleshooting solutions to help you in your writing. I’ve given you the top three here: Use strong verbs- weak verbs make writing look dull Avoid pretentious or confusing words- keep the words short and … [Read more...]
Archives for February 2015
Don’t Wave a Red Flag to the IRS
Tax time can be stressful: meeting deadlines, finding invoices and receipts, and figuring out how much to write off while avoiding an audit. An accountant can alleviate some of the stress, but not all of it! A colleague of mine published these tips in their newsletter, figured I’d share. Here’s a list of things to avoid if you would prefer NOT to undergo an IRS audit: Eleven Red Flags The IRS Looks For: 1.) Forgetting to claim income that is already being reported to the IRS. 2.) ROUND numbers are always a flag. 3.) Large deductions for travel & entertainment. Computer programs at the IRS establish norms. Taxpayers that are outliers are at a higher risk of audit. In … [Read more...]
6 Essential Traits of Successful Entrepreneurs
I love this article from www.Entrepreneur.com. 6 Essential Traits of Successful Entrepreneurs goes beyond advice on good marketing moves, business plans, etcetera. Instead, it focuses on the skills and traits you personally need in order to succeed as a small business owner. It’s so important to consider your own wants, needs, and motivations before becoming an entrepreneur, and to continue to keep these in mind once you take the entrepreneurial plunge. Just few things this article covers are having a clear vision, communication, and time management. I highly recommend reading this for any aspiring or current entrepreneur! Also check out my earlier blog “4 Questions to Ask Before … [Read more...]